ME AND MY GIRL
can be dismissed as nonsense, it bombards the senses with good humour, so when Bill and Sally express their love for each other the audience can actually be moved. ‘Leaning On a Lamppost’ and ‘Once You Lose Your Heart’ achieve an emotional tension that, on the surface, they have no right to. If played poorly it doesn’t work, it’s just cheerful fluff, but if played well it becomes greater that the sum of its parts. It is a tribute to a talented cast that it worked, and worked with panache. There is an easy charm to the earworm tunes of ‘Lambeth Walk’ and ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’ but without fan- tastic choreography to accompany the musical numbers this show would be nothing; Ms Ibbotson’s work with the students produced extraordinary ensemble numbers and many intimate moments. The show effortlessly contrast- ed the stately movement in the garden of Hareford Hall (with the pompous Duchess of Deene superbly played by Phoebe Threadgould), against the light-footed comic antics of ‘The Family Solicitor’, featuring a perfectly prancing lawyer in the shape of Edmund Irving (Year 13). The depth of the company can be underlined by a clutch of notable character performances: Harry Sugden (Year 12) as a surprisingly educated caricature of a bobby on the beat with a glorious French accent and a pitch-per- fect raised eyebrow; Millie Walmsley as a feisty East End landlady; and Wilf Patten (Year 11) for his hilarious Lord Battersby. Truth be told I could have singled out anybody on that stage for similar praise. All the stops were pulled out on the production side. Most performers had at least three costume changes, and Mrs Baskerville and her team produced an extraor- dinarily bright and convincing set of period costumes. Dr Storey was the Musical Director and led a talented band of excellent instrumentalists, who clearly enjoyed work- ing as a pit band; the singing was spot on. The Edward Alleyn Theatre looked magnificent: a large team of staff and students had created the beautiful façade of Her- eford House and it was complemented by wonderfully sympathetic lighting. This talented company of actors, musicians and techni- cians set the bar to a new high and charmed their sell-out audiences. In all, nearly 65 students performed, played and worked backstage on the production, bringing the Edward Alleyn Theatre back to life after two years of un- certainty – it was wonderful to be part of that renaissance. ◎
Sell-out audiences were treated to a truly uplifting performance of the vintage stage musical Me and My Girl , writes Peter Jolly
T his is a far from unbiased feature on Dulwich’s production of Me and My Girl, performed in the Edward Alleyn Theatre in December 2022. After a few decades at the helm of the Drama Department, I wanted to finish my run of productions with colleagues and students working together on an unrelentingly cheerful show. Whilst I believe profoundly that theatre can address the most challenging problems of our time, I also believe that it can be an escape, bringing sunshine and laughter into what has been a challenging world. From the first rehearsals it was clear that the company of students from JAGS and the College relished the oppor- tunity of working together again as one large ensemble. Covid had not suppressed a desire for performance and creativity; it had intensified it. Sonny Birrane (Year 13) and Tilly Herkanaidu took the leads as Bill and Sally in what is an impressively silly plot,
full of witty one-liners and improbable situations. They were brilliant to work with from the very start, displaying skilled assurance in musical theatre beyond their years, and their work was truly appreciated by the audience. The East End world of their characters was mirrored by the warring upper-class twits, played by the equally excellent Amedee Le Gouellec De Schwarz (Year 13) and Mimi Lee. Covid had not suppressed a desire for performance and creativity, it had intensified it The libretto contains saucy comic flourishes and com- bines them with a host of hilarious characters in a mash- up of Dalston meets Downton. There is a good deal of PG Wodehouse-esque humour in the musical and it is no surprise that the play was revised by Stephen Fry, aka Jeeves to a whole generation. Whilst Me and My Girl
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DRAMA & DANCE
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